The Mental Health Consequences of Disaster-Related Loss: Findings from Primary Care One Year After the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

Abstract

This study examines the long-term psychiatric consequences, pain interference in daily activities, work loss, and functional impairment associated with 9/11-related loss among low-income, minority primary care patients in New York City. A systematic sample of 929 adult patients completed a survey that included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist, the PRIME-MD Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 (SF-12).Approximately one-quarter of the sample reported knowing someone who was killed in the attacks of 9/11, and these patients were sociodemographically similar to the rest of the sample. Compared to patients who had not experienced 9/11-related loss, patients who experienced loss were roughly twice as likely (OR = 1.97, 95%; CI = 1.40, 2.77) to screen positive for at least one mental disorder, including major depressive disorder (MDD; 29.2%), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; 19.4%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 17.1%). After controlling for pre-9/11 trauma, 9/11-related loss was significantly related to extreme pain interference, work loss, and functional impairment. The results suggest that disaster-related mental health care in this clinical population should emphasize evidence-based treatments for mood and anxiety disorders.

Prevalence and risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder among teachers 3 months after the Lushan earthquake

“…The majority of previous studies explored the risk factors of PTSD largely in isolation from other putative risk factors, such as sleep problems [18,19] and somatic discomforts, [20,21] which have been well-documented. Everyday functional impairment was also found to be related to psychological trauma, [22,23] because small changes of everyday functioning can be predictive of an increased risk for future pathologic behavior and be a source of psychological distress. [24,25] To our knowledge, there is no study included all the aforementioned variables to explore the risk factors of PTSD, let alone in teachers.…”

Psychiatric disorders among disaster bereaved: an interview study of individuals directly or not directly exposed to the 2004 tsunami

“…[1] High prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (major depressive disorder, MDD) has been reported in disaster bereaved. [2,3] Recently, some studies have shown that disaster deaths can be followed by prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in a substantial number of bereaved. [4][5][6] PGD (also referred to as complicated or traumatic grief) is considered a mental health disorder proposed for DSM-V and ICD-11, and consists of symptoms such as severe yearning for the deceased, difficulties accepting the loss, bitterness or anger related to the loss ongoing for at least 6 months after the death.…”

The contribution of human psychology to disaster management: mitigation, advance preparedness, response and recovery

“…Most work has been done on the impact of disasters on survivors [72][73][74][75]. Some work has begun to differentiate the special needs of particular populations, for example children [76][77][78].…”